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Karadag
Located in modern Montenegro, there is the Dwarven nation of Karadag, which is somewhat famous for being the only Dwarven society with a sizeable navy. These dwarves have long since exhausted the mineral wealth in their relatively small terrestrial territory, so now they have begun efforts to mine the nearby sea floors. While they do construct massive warships to protect themselves, the mining itself is accomplished by using steam-powered breathing devices in conjunction with the natural density of dwarves. Armed with such a breathing device, a dwarf miner can jump into the sea and sink extremely quickly to the bottom, where they mine until they run out of oxygen, after which they can be hauled up with steam powered winches and platforms. The King's Passage leads from lake to sea Name History Current State Government Unlike many Dwarven regions, Karadag is ruled by a feudal monarchy that is nearly identical to those of nearby human regions. A king rules over a substantial number of landowning nobles. Some nobles are absolute rulers of their territory, levying taxes, maintaining militias, and assuming complete administrative authority. Others (mostly those in charge of prosperous ports) guide their lands as though they are businesses rather than political entities. Provinces Bokotor Consisting of the entire western half of the coast of Karadag, Bokotor is the province with the highest population. While many of the inhabitants are dwarven, a sizable proportion is not. Humans are certainly the largest minority, but visitors from Qart, Trialq, and Khmet are common as well. Aureus elves and Uthman orcs are occasionally seen, but a citizen of Bokotor could conceivably go their entire life without personally meeting one. The vast majority of foreign contact and commerce is conducted out of the many port cities within Bokotor. The bays provide very efficient natural defenses, allowing the region to minimize its defense expenditures. Dogorica The capital of Karadag and the center of non-economic matters. For the most part, the region consists of the nobility's personal lands, military training facilities, and a massive fortress that is designed to serve as a final refuge in the event of a full-scale invasion. Specifically, this fortress is ancient and dates back to the founding of the territory by dwarven explorers from the north. Deep underground tunnel networks are uncommon in the rest of Karadag, making them unique to Dogorica. Additionally, hidden shipyards dot the landscape, holding not only a reserve fleet of massive dreadnaughts, but also the materials and workers necessary to immediately begin construction of an entirely new fleet. These workers are some of the most skilled in the region, passing down their skills from one generation to the next. Their purpose is concealed behind apparently employment on various noble estates, but their true purpose is simply to train for a possible eventuality for the rest of their lives. When times are dire in other regions, sometimes these workers are even shipped out to provided emergency expertise. Antivar The eastern half of the coast of Karadag, yet much less outwardly-focused than Bokotor. Much of the civilian population is split into small fishing hamlets with only a few sizable ports dotting the region. However, there are several key industrial and military centers that give the region its significant influence. Mining and processing operations are conducted at a handful of coastal settlements, each of which is guarded by a sizable garrision. Additionally, the main Karadag fleet patrols the Antivar waters since it lacks the natural defensibility of Bokotor. The departure and return of mining operations are treated as celebratory events, just as more traditional dwarven realms might treat the discovery of a particularly rich vein. Burane While Burane does consist of over 80% of the land of Karadag, it is largely empty. Due to a distinct lack of mineral wealth, the region exists almost purely as a buffer and farmland. There are essentially no major population centers, with the population consisting solely of hardy farmers, basic craftsmen, and vigilant frontiersmen. The region is only able to compete with the other three by leveraging its influence as the bulwark against the chaos that reigns to the north and east of Karadag. Even then, Burane has very little say on matters of economic import, although it is granted an equal say in matters of defense. International Relations Italica As a result of their mastery of the waves, the Karadag dwarves have a rather complicated relationship with the nearby princes of Italica. Italican fleets have ambushed dwarven mining vessels on more than one occasion, which ultimately led to the focus on larger and better defended ships by Karadag. Though there aren't many dwarven dreadnoughts, each is capable of standing its ground against a dozen or so lesser vessels. For this reason, Italican princes have been extremely interested in the idea of acquiring such ships, either through gold or violence. In turn, this has stimulated the shipbuilding industry of Karadag further, with more ships being constructed every year. In many cases, the dwarves of Karadag actually end up supplying the navies on both sides of Italican conflicts, since neither principality is generally willing to let the other get the upper hand on the seas and thus both end up paying exorbitant sums to the dwarves for the usage of their floating fortresses. Of course, the dwarves do still maintain a significant fleet of their own to dissuade any treachery on the part of the princes, but that might not be enough if several princes band together to seize Karadag. It would be quite the cautionary tale if Karadag were to be pulled under the waves by the might of their own warships. Military Organizations Institutions Demographics Creatures